Boulevard Wheat Clone

[Wiking44]

If you guys want to clone Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat, their ale yeast is distinctive and is the bottle conditioning strain so grow it up.

I know you probably didn't read my posts above, but I've had e-mail communication with one of their brewers and he told me they do not use the same yeast when they ferment. They re-pitch it apparently because - in his words - the yeast they use to brew flocculates too much in the bottle.

 

[Wiking44]

Do you think there would be a problem with just using the Magnum hops? I usually brew kits but haven't found a wheat kit that is mellow enough for me (my go to beer is an IPA but I like a mellow wheat) so I don't have any hops on hand....it would be most simple to just buy one variety.

I think going straight Magnum would be fine.

 

[camus]

Let me know how this works. So there's another clue...and a tip to NOT waste time harvesting.

So I bottled this tonight, hit about 1.011, tastes like a warm flat boulevard wheat that sat in the garage while I mowed the lawn, a bit dryer than I expected. Anyways, I am interested how yours turns out. I am definately going to partial mash this next time around. Been looking at this as well:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/boulevard-wheat-clone-extract-recipe-153191/


You will have to let me know how your yeast selection turns out, I think I might try WLP008 next. I got until June-July to figure it out.

 

[Wiking44]

You will have to let me know how your yeast selection turns out, I think I might try WLP008 next. I got until June-July to figure it out.

Alright...here's a re-cap:

2.5 lb Wheat DME
2.5 lb Pale Malt (2 Row)
1.25 lb Un-malted Wheat

.10 ounce Bravo
.15 ounce Magnum

Wyeast American Wheat Yeast

I mashed the Pale and Wheat @ 150 degrees for 35 minutes. Added DME and boiled. Added hops. Boiled for 60 minutes. Pitched yeast @ 75 degrees.

Target OG was 1.042 and I got 1.039. I obviously didn't get much efficiency on my mash.

Fermented in primary (no secondary) for two weeks. Kegged and under pressure for cold conditioning right now.

The samples I've tried are underwhelming. I think I'm in the ballpark but I have to tell you the beer is nearly tastless. I mean literally it almost tastes like water. It's not too sweet so I did get some bittering out of the hops I used but there is something missing.

The previous batch I did with California Ale was way wrong. The American Wheat yeast seems to be closer but really lacks the flavor profile.

What I'm going to try next:

Increase Pale Malt to 3.0 lbs
Substitute malted wheat for un-malted wheat
Increase the IBUs ever-so-slightly (they claim 13 but I may not be getting good efficiency out of mine so I may be a little short)

Also seriously considering pitching both American Wheat AND British Ale yeast. I'm convinced that their 'house yeast' is a combination of some kind. Both brewers told me to use American Wheat but their beer has a flavor twist to it that can only be created by the yeast used since they only use bittering hops.

 

[HillWilliam]

According to the book "Brewing with Wheat"

Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
OG : 1.045
Apparent degree of Attenuation : 75%
ABV : 4.4
IBU : 13
Malts : Pale, Wheat, unmalted wheat, Munich
Hops : Simcoe
Yeast : house, English pale ale
Primary fermentation : Yeast pitched at 64, rises to 73, 5 days
Secondary Fermentation : 59, 5 days

Grain bill
56.5% Pale malt
19.5% raw wheat
22% malted wheat
2% Munich malt

Mashing schedule
104 for 6.5 minutes
122 for 25 minutes
145 for 12 minutes
163 for 15 minutes
169 knockout

boil is 70 minutes with hop additions just before boil begins and then 10 minutes into boil (or at 60 min)

Fermentation begins at 64 degrees and when the gravity drops to 1.024 is raised to 73 degrees

Looks like most of the recipes here are very close to this, I just thought I would throw this out after just reading it tonight.

 

[camus]

Wiking44,

Sorry to hear that, I hope it is at least drinkable.

I stuck a couple in the fridge for a day, color is a bit off. It starts alright but ends a bit dry and 'bready'.

Wife's words, "Wow, started in nice but then gets a bit heavy".

The initial tanginess is there, but the finish is off. Certainly I beer I will drink and share.

Hillwilliam,

That is pretty close to what I am going after next, thanks.
Hops TBD, but still undecided on the yeast.

I was reading Brewing Classic Styles and they suggested English Pale as well or maybe a Kolsch yeast. I am going to try the East Coast Ale and wait and see how Wiking44's combo ends up.

I hope to have something close nailed down before it gets hot out.

 

[Wiking44]

Camus:

Well between the two of us we may get close at least. The epilog to that last beer is that once it was cold conditioned for a week it turned into a very nice light-tasting beer. The low IBU meant my girlfriend would drink it (not much for hops.) Truthfully you have to throw a lemon in there though in my opinion. Otherwise it's a little mild for me.

I did brew another attempt on Sunday. I modified the recipe slightly:

2 lb 10 oz Wheat DME (up from 2.5)
2.5 lb Pale Malt (2 Row)
1.25 lb Un-malted Wheat

.22 ounce Bravo (No more Magnum left)

Wyeast British Ale yeast (Which was one suggested to me by the brewer...but then he said American Wheat too which confuses me still.)

I mashed the Pale and Wheat @ 150 degrees for 35 minutes. Added DME and boiled. Added hops. Boiled for 60 minutes. Pitched yeast @ 75 degrees.


The one thing I can't replicate is the whole part about starting fermentation at 65 degrees and raising it. I don't have that kind of temperature control.

I did get good and rapid fermentation (British Ale always does that for me) and if the smell coming from the air lock is any indication it seems to be much closer than the American Wheat yeast. Will be another 10 days or so before I get a sample though as I'm once again skipping the secondary fermenter. Will let you know.

 

[509inc]

The girl and I drink a ton Boulevard Wheat. I personally would not try to clone it since it is already dirt cheap from the store. In my opinion any beer that is already under a $1 a bottle from the liquor store is not worth brewing.

 

[Wiking44]

The girl and I drink a ton Boulevard Wheat. I personally would not try to clone it since it is already dirt cheap from the store. In my opinion any beer that is already under a $1 a bottle from the liquor store is not worth brewing.

Thanks for your input.

When you can convince Boulevard to distribute to Florida let me know, since they've told me they have no plans to do so in the future.

 

[Wiking44]

I did brew another attempt on Sunday. I modified the recipe slightly:

2 lb 10 oz Wheat DME (up from 2.5)
2.5 lb Pale Malt (2 Row)
1.25 lb Un-malted Wheat

.22 ounce Bravo (No more Magnum left)

Wyeast British Ale yeast (Which was one suggested to me by the brewer...but then he said American Wheat too which confuses me still.)

I mashed the Pale and Wheat @ 150 degrees for 35 minutes. Added DME and boiled. Added hops. Boiled for 60 minutes. Pitched yeast @ 75 degrees.


The one thing I can't replicate is the whole part about starting fermentation at 65 degrees and raising it. I don't have that kind of temperature control.

I did get good and rapid fermentation (British Ale always does that for me) and if the smell coming from the air lock is any indication it seems to be much closer than the American Wheat yeast. Will be another 10 days or so before I get a sample though as I'm once again skipping the secondary fermenter. Will let you know.

I threw this in the keg on Saturday and it's cold-conditioning right now. I did sample it on Sunday and have to say it's a very good tasting beer...but it's not Boulevard Wheat. I think it's much closer than the last batch I did and I can say I'm 'in the ballpark' but there is something missing. The two things I can think of:

Fermentation temp - They say they start at 65 and raise it. I can't replicate that.
Yeast - They've told me both American Wheat and British Ale. I've tried both (but not together) and it seems the British Ale is a bit closer.

I think I'm going to move on for a few batches and see if anyone else comes up with something. It's springtime - Heffeweizen on the way!

 

[tmm0f5]

I threw this in the keg on Saturday and it's cold-conditioning right now. I did sample it on Sunday and have to say it's a very good tasting beer...but it's not Boulevard Wheat. I think it's much closer than the last batch I did and I can say I'm 'in the ballpark' but there is something missing. The two things I can think of:

Fermentation temp - They say they start at 65 and raise it. I can't replicate that.
Yeast - They've told me both American Wheat and British Ale. I've tried both (but not together) and it seems the British Ale is a bit closer.

I think I'm going to move on for a few batches and see if anyone else comes up with something. It's springtime - Heffeweizen on the way!

Resurrecting this thread... anyone have any progress on this? Thinking of this for my next brew.

Is the 35 min mash sufficient? Any benefit to a full hour mash?

Also what about the yeast? Has anyone tried the American Wheat / British Ale combo?

-Tim

 

[lonepalm]

This is my wifes fav beer, if i could get this close it would be a hause drink

 

[HillWilliam]

I brewed a version of this on Sunday using Pale malt, malted wheat, raw wheat and munich and hopped with Cascade but I think the difference may come in the yeast I pitched. I used this :
http://whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp008.html

I guess I'll see in a couple of weeks how it turned out.

 

[lonepalm]

Did you use the recipe on the first page?

May prolong the lager and do this next weekend instead

 

[HillWilliam]

No my recipe is on page 4 of this thread and comes from the book Brewing with Wheat. Basically 50% pale malt, 24% malted wheat, 24% red wheat and 2% Munich malt and then American hops, I used Cascade and Chinook.

I did not do all of the rests, just one at 130 for 30 and then 152 for 30 with no mash out.

 

[Wiking44]

The recipe I posted on the third/fourth pages was based on direct communication with the brewers at Boulevard.

I attempted it three times last year and never got close. It's all in the yeast, and I have no idea what they use.

 

[matt81]

The description of WLP022 sounds like something Boulevard may use as a house strain. I think it would defintley fit for the Wheat, Irish Ale, Porter and Pale.

WLP022 Essex Ale Yeast
Flavorful British style yeast. Drier finish than many British ale yeast. Produces slightly fruity and bready character. Good top fermenting yeast strain, is well suited for top cropping (collecting). This yeast is well suited for classic British milds, pale ales, bitters, and stouts. Does not flocculate as much as WLP002 and WLP005. Attenuation: 71-76%
Flocculation: Medium to High
Ideal Fermentation Temperature Range: 66-70°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp022.html

 

[TimmysBrew]

Alright...here's a re-cap:

2.5 lb Wheat DME
2.5 lb Pale Malt (2 Row)
1.25 lb Un-malted Wheat

.10 ounce Bravo
.15 ounce Magnum

Wyeast American Wheat Yeast

I mashed the Pale and Wheat @ 150 degrees for 35 minutes. Added DME and boiled. Added hops. Boiled for 60 minutes. Pitched yeast @ 75 degrees.

Target OG was 1.042 and I got 1.039. I obviously didn't get much efficiency on my mash.

Fermented in primary (no secondary) for two weeks. Kegged and under pressure for cold conditioning right now.

The samples I've tried are underwhelming. I think I'm in the ballpark but I have to tell you the beer is nearly tastless. I mean literally it almost tastes like water. It's not too sweet so I did get some bittering out of the hops I used but there is something missing.

The previous batch I did with California Ale was way wrong. The American Wheat yeast seems to be closer but really lacks the flavor profile.

What I'm going to try next:

Increase Pale Malt to 3.0 lbs
Substitute malted wheat for un-malted wheat
Increase the IBUs ever-so-slightly (they claim 13 but I may not be getting good efficiency out of mine so I may be a little short)

Also seriously considering pitching both American Wheat AND British Ale yeast. I'm convinced that their 'house yeast' is a combination of some kind. Both brewers told me to use American Wheat but their beer has a flavor twist to it that can only be created by the yeast used since they only use bittering hops.

Have you tried this with the American Wheat and British Ale yeast? I'm thinking of brewing a batch of this in a few weeks. Just figured I'd check to see if you had nailed this recipe yet

 

[matt81]

I just brewed a clone of boulevard wheat and went with white labs 023. Pitched at 68 then raised to 72 after day 3.

 

[TimmysBrew]

I just brewed a clone of boulevard wheat and went with white labs 023. Pitched at 68 then raised to 72 after day 3.

Extract? AG? How did it come out? Or still fermenting..

 

[matt81]

All grain 60% pale malt, 40% malted wheat. step mash (pulled the mash temps off this thread). Matched the og and ibu's pff the boulevatd website Drinking off keg Two weeks after brew date. Very tasty brew and it didn't last long. May rebrew it again.

 

[kchomebrew]

I'm hanging on to a bottle of Boulevard Wheat for when I make this to try to culture some yeast from it.
Since they bottle condition their beer, anybody know if they use a secondary yeast strain?

I know this is many years late on a response, but I've been told the bottle conditioning yeast is T58 and all Blvd bottle conditioned beers receive T58 for conditioning. Reason for the use of T58 is that is drops out quickly and compacts nicely at the bottom of the bottle and the bottle fermenting/conditioning from T58 doesn't depart any flavors or aromas. I still don't understand why Blvd. does this with their Wheat beer since it's unfiltered. I would figured the residual yeast particles in the beer would be sufficient for bottle conditioning and there would be no need to add in a bottle conditioning yeast. But maybe there's a reason for this on a commercial level. I don't see application for this technique at the homebrewer level.

I'm actually making a hefe this weekend and am going to split the batch. Half with a hefe yeast and the other half is going to get a Blvd'ish type yeast profile. What that means is I'm just going to toss in 1 packet of US05 and packet of US04 and let them duke it out. Not sure anyone really knows what the Blvd house yeast is for their wheat beer. But, it certainly has profiles that match the chico strain and english strain yeast. I personally don't care for using the US04 strain by itself, but I have tried mixing it with US05 in the past with a blonde ale and it was quite nice. So I'm going to try this out and I'll post my results when it's done.

 

[Wiking44]

I would be interested to hear how your version turns out. I have not attempted this recipe since I last posted to this thread a couple of years ago.

However, it just so happens that I toured the brewery yesterday and was told once again that Wyeast 1010 (American Wheat) or Wyeast 1007 (German Ale) would be the closest I could get.

So basically I have nothing new to add to the hunt.

 

[kchomebrew]

Interesting. I don't perceive any Kolsch yeast profile in their beer. But would be interesting to try that with a wheat beer.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Joshaw50]

Bumping this thread for any updates. I've been trying to clone this one for 4 years and haven't gotten there yet. It's definitely all about the yeast and probably a combination of two yeasts based off of other's conversations with the Boulevard Brewery folks. Any updates from anyone? Summer is coming around and this is a great summer beer.